Excellent educational programs, high level research... accessible to all

Professional training,a passport to success

Olivier Faron, General Administrator

A leading higher education and research institution dedicated to adult continuing education, the Conservatory holds a unique, original position in the French educational landscape.
With nearly 150 educational centres in France and a presence in many places around the world, the Conservatory is the only institution that offers adults of all ages living in many different places the tools they need to move forward. Nearly 100,000 pupils, employees, students and job-seekers participate in the CNAM’s high-quality educational programmes every year. Since its foundation in 1794, our institution has closely combined academic knowledge and professional skills, so that you can train for the beginning of your professional career, or accumulate tools in order to advance in your career.

With an understanding of the economic and social needs throughout the areas we serve, CNAM programs are designed and provided to facilitate access to qualifications and employment. A one-ofa-kind, high-level teaching body consists of university professors and industry professionals. A space for learning, research and, quite simply, professional development, the Conservatory opens its door year after year to continue its public service mission: provide every individual with the means to continue their education so that individual success
rhymes with collective dedication.

Abbé Grégoire (1750-1831)

Founder of the CNAM

Today a leading higher education and research institution, the CNAM was founded by Abbé Grégoire in 1794 in order to “perfect national industry”. Abbé Grégoire, one of the emblematic figures of the French
Revolution, helped bring about the abolition of privileges and slavery, while advocating the institution of universal suffrage. On 12 December 1989, over 150 years after he passed away, the Abbé’s ashes were transferred to the Pantheon, along with the ashes of Monge and Condorcet, during the bicentennial celebration of the French Revolution.
Continuing the legacy of the Enlightenment, the Conservatory has welcomed many famous thinkers since it first opened its doors, including the academic Le Roy, who worked on the Encyclopedia, the mathematician Charles Dupin, the economist Jean-Baptiste Say and even Sadi Carnot, founder of thermodynamics.

Supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education, today the CNAM fulfils three missions:

Lifelong learning,

Research,

Diffusion of technical and scientific culture.

Continuing Education

Like most higher education institutions of an international calibre, the CNAM invests in research. With nearly 400 teaching researchers, the institution nurtures major research initiatives with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity. In addition, the CNAM distinguishes itself by the range of disciplines taught, covering all technical and scientific fields.Short-term and long-term educational programmes are divided between two schools:

The teaching staff brings together university professors and industry professionals, and most programmes are available through evening and/or Saturday courses.

The Museum of Arts and Crafts: a core institution of the CNAM

Through its remarkable scientific and technical legacy, the Museum of Arts and Crafts retraces the history of technological innovation.
As part of the CNAM, the Museum’s vocation is to conserve and diffuse heritage that bears witness to the evolution of techniques. Renovated in 2000, it displays over 3,000 inventions through seven different collections: scientific instruments, materials, construction, communication, energy, mechanics and transportation. Additions are regularly made to these collections, particularly as part of its mission to protect contemporary scientific and technical heritage.